False Twilight - by The Mob Reader (Mob talker)
by The Mob Reader
Summary: The story of a traveling merchant and his companion through the unforgiving world of Wynn. Escaping from one's past isn't an easy feat, as the scars of the past soon haunt the lives of the two travellers. Caught between the strings of fate and the strings of their own growing relationship. Even the simplest decisions may change both their lives and the whole of Wynn.
1. Prologue: Everything starts with an end

**Chapter 1: Prologue (Redux)**

**Prologue : "Everything starts with an end"**

**T**he night sky was tainted in crimson from the burning wreckage of once prosperous city. Its roads that were passageway for thousands were now nothing but ash, rubble and burning bodies of those who resided there.

A little boy no more then the age of five stood in the streets with his arms, wrapped around the only things in this moment of time that could comfort him. They were wrapped around his loving parents.

A deafening roar could be heard from within the wreckage as a pair of purple eyes protruded from within the columns of rising smoke. As the flames died down the features of the creature slowly became visible, jet black horns, Dark grey scales, and its massive wing are contrasting with the bright colors of the fire. Its eyes fixed onto the family below... eyes that were set to kill... like those of a Raptor.

He wished it was all a bad dream, a nightmare but it was all too real, too vivid. He wished that if he closed his eyes… it would all be gone but it remained. No matter how much he hated to admit it… this was real.

* * *

><p>A few hours ago (Somewhere else, in a land known to many as the End)<p>

Thunder roared across the vacant skies of the End, devoid of any life or color, it was as if the sky was nothing but an everlasting void. The land fared no better the skies as well. The earth and soil that had once harbored the seeds of live for this land was all but gone and the rocks and stones that held the very land together have withered up into brittle dust. This was the final moments of the once prosperous world called the end. It was indeed, a world in its deathbed.

Even so, there is still as slimmer of hope left in this barren wasteland. Next to the fountain of passages, lay two individuals… no make it three. The tallest of the three was a man looking to be in his early thirties, as proven by his weathered features and tall stature. Standing on the side of him, was a woman of a similar age adorning a melancholic but hopeful expression as she stood next the two people that she treasured that most. Then finally, the third figure stood between aforementioned two, admittedly much shorter then the two before as to be expected form a little girl. Violet eyes stared up towards other two as they were slowly welling up with silent tears. "I'm sorry my little Andr, I'm sorry we can't be with you any longer," the second figure, now known to be the little girl's mother said in-between breaths as she too was crying silently mirroring that of her daughter.

"Andr… I want you to be a good girl from now on, ok? Grow on to be a fine little lass will ya?" the girl's father said as he held the three of them together in a final embrace. Even through his joking demeanor, it was painfully obvious that he too was in the same emotional boat as the rest of his family. Taking out a small little chest-like box from the tattered remains of what was once a rucksack, he gently opened it up to reveal a golden locket trimmed with shades of silver. As he carefully attached the two ends of the locket's chains around his daughter, he couldn't help but let out as small chuckle as the locket was a tad bit on the large side for her. "We were going to give this to you on your seventeenth birthday, but this will have to do for now" he said with a heavy heart, not wanting to dwell into the deeper meaning within those words. "Go now little lass, my old heart can't take anymore of this emotional drama" he fretted as always, trying to lighten the mood around things.

Now standing on the edges of the fountain Andr took a last look at the approving looks of her family, before jumping into the starry blackness of the fountain's waters. After that, everything else was just a blur to her.


	2. Chapter 1: waking up in the dawn

_**((\\\\==(False Twilight)== /)) **_

_**(Chapter 1)**_

The light patter of the receding storm could be heard from the mouth of the cave. A lone lantern illuminated the whole of the space, revealing the silhouettes of our equipment and the sleeping figure of my traveling companion. The roaring winds of the previous night did not faze her as she slept her way from dusk to dawn. "Hey, Andr its time to go, wake up" I said as I gently poked the side of her waist, A method that seems to effectively wake her every morning.

"What? Come on Blake... wake me up in five minutes" came her groggy reply… as she went back to her slumber. It always amazed me how this woman can sleep for hours on end, but that is a story for some other time.

My feet seemed to drag themselves out of our temporary shelter, an action that now seemed to be an everyday thing. It wasn't because of my sleepiness or the fact that breakfast wasn't made…no. It was me, trying avoiding the memories that will come along with what I'm about to see.

Gargantuan pillars of solid obsidian could be seen in the distant horizon, a constant reminder of Wynn's dangerous past. People say that theses pillars were cause be the appearance of the Nether portal in that area but no one really knows how it got there. Man made or not those pillars must be avoided at all cost since they have been known to spread corruption, greed, insanity and hatred. This is that fact that's been made far too clear for me.

The Nether portal, with it's literal definition being 'The Hell Portal' was literally a gate way to hell. It first appeared during the late Delsaak Wars… a time when the two rival cities Deltas and Nesaak waged a war over territorial control. It was a thoughtless notion… to wage war against fellow citizens just for power and control. If I didn't know better, I would have said that the appearance of the corruption was an intercession. The land surrounding the remnants of the battlefield… is never to be used again, consumed by the corruption… and will forever stay that way.

The slight rustling sound of bed sheets being folded deterred me from my thoughts. "Blake… are you ok?" came Andr's worried voice. Her violet orbs glimmered within the sunlight. It's always been a mystery to me why the color of her eyes seemed to be so bizarre and intriguing at the same time. Never In my life had I met anyone else with eyes like hers

"Yes, Andr I'm fine" while in fact… it was a lie. "I'm just remembering some things… that's all".

"It's about the old man isn't it?" her worried expression slowly altered into a frown as she too know the pain I'm going through. The Old Man's real name was never told to us… but he was a man in the later stages of his life, his hair was starting to change form jet-black to a ghostly white. We were orphans, both survivors of the False Twilight incident… the old man found us in the ruins of old Nemract -the site of False Twilight- and basically adopted us. You could say he was our mentor. He was a jovial old man… always staying positive about the things around him but strict when needed. We respected him as a teacher and loved him as a grandparent... but it all changed when after his excursion near the Deltas suburbs… an area inconveniently plac right next to the nether portal. He turned into the polar opposite of the man he used to be…his calming and caring demeanor was gone, replaced by one of hate and anger.

I nodded in response. "There's no point in moping about the past. Come on, let's get going… we have to deliver the nether quartz by tomorrow".

It's kind of ironic actually. Making a trade using the commodities that come form the very place I've learned to hate. But such is the way of life in The Province Of Wynn, only the ones of royal descent and the king's guards get the Wynnadian dream life. The some of the regular citizens are left to fend for them selves, and live their lives as bandits or merchants. While the others who weren't as lucky as the former, were forced to live within the near ghetto-like conditions of New Nemract. My life as a merchant has brought me to that godforsaken place countless times and none of them were anywhere near favorable.

"Blake, have you ever considered what we're going to do once this deal works out? We're gonna be loaded form the quartz you know." Andr's eyes lit up at her own thoughts… leaving me to wonder what's going on in that woman's mind. While on second thought, its best I don't go too far into that idea.

"You know, there's a really good deal for a beach house at Half Mo-"

She placed her index finger on my lips as she shushed me "Not interested". Ok… now I'm confused. She always wanted to live in a beach house near the coast. _Wonder what changed her mind_.

Not being straightforward would only waste time and time was one of the major priorities as a merchant, at least in my case. "Ok… so instead of making _random _guesses. What do suggest we do with all the money?".

She seemed almost disappointed by my answer, which was made crystal clear by her apparent pouting. "Sometimes… you are brutally honest with yourself" she sighed in surrender. I couldn't help but cock my eyebrows at her admittance to defeat.

"So then. Where do you propose you want to go instead of Half Moon Island?" I asked as my hands shuffled through her auburn hair.

"There's a nice little farmhouse between the town of Maltic and Mt. Wynn" She stared off into the distance… almost as if she's dreaming about what the future brings.

"You know… that's not a bad idea… not bad at all". I could have sworn I saw her smile turn into a smirk. "Women… You just can't seem to win against them these days".

"Nope." Her grin was now replaced with a more serious expression. "Where do you suggest we go? I know, we're going to Deltas..the so called capital of trade, but how are we going to get there?" she gave me a curious stare while waiting for my response.

"Well… the easiest way would be to go through the southern path… but I heard that the corruption has spread to those parts too so…" It was hard for my mind to from a travel route this early in the morning."I suggest we move west through Elkurn and go along the edges of the Nivla Woods… though it would've taken much longer, I'm not willing to take the risk."

Andr gave me a nod of confirmation as she headed towards the cave… "You know… I'm kinda glad that we left," she said as she shone her smile towards me.

"I'm glad we did Andr… I'm glad we did"

* * *

><p>The wagon gently rocked, as it's dark oak wheels trundled through the graveled path. We've already made our descent form the highlands of Nesaak. Though Nesaak doesn't the most favorable living conditions due to its extreme cold and harsh wildlife, I have to say… looking back the region's pine forest the gradually fading layer of snow was just beautiful. Though our time there was worthwhile it was time for us to say our farewells to this place.<p>

As the multicolored roofs of the Elkurn residents came into view I remembered a very crucial rule when it comes to traveling… 'Always carry a few Ems'. Ems are the lowest tier of currency in Wynn, coming in a form a gem shaped plate made from Emeralds… a common gem in the mines of Wynn. That problem is that I only have Ebs the more expensive and square shaped variant of the Ems… worth 64 Ems each. In every town or city that's been registered at the Rami Archives there is a law that requires travelers who are not citizens of the Town to pay a toll of 15 Ems upon arrival. Now the tricky thing is that if they do only have Ebs then they will have to pay 1 Eb instead. This wouldn't be so bad if Ebs weren't considered such rarity. 64 Ebs which is the equivalent of 1 El could get you good sized house in Rami if you play the cards right. "Damn it" I muttered underneath my breath.

"What is it Blake?" having heard my incoherent cursing Andr asked form my right… while apparently munching on what seems to be a very stiff piece of bread.

"Andr… do you remember the traveller's rule?" My response came with a sigh. Something I seemed to be doing quite often in the past few days.

Andr shot up from her sitting position, putting her leg on the front of the carriage and in a boisterous manner she said, "Of course I do!" She then diverted her violet orbs to mine "Aw… did little Blakey forget to convert his money?" As much as I like her, Andr can really be such a tease sometimes.

"You know… you can become the most annoying person in the world in a blink of an eye"

"Well, you know me better then anyone else" Andr said with a huff, placing her gloved hands within the sleeves of her turtleneck.

* * *

><p>Our time bickering seemed to have sped up time, as the grey cobblestone gate of Elkurn could be seen just a few meters away.<p>

"PLEASE DEPOSIT… 15EMs INTO THE DROPPER" The loud animatronic voice of the town's golem boomed through the walls. Pebbles seemed to bounce as the iron colossus marched in a mechanical fashion through the gate, almost making the gate seem minuscule with its inhuman height. Knowing what might happen if I were to just stand there for too long, my hands reached into the tough leather walls of my coin bag. The fact that I'm wasting four times more money then I'm supposed to did not help in my reluctance to complete the action. Still, we needed the rest from multiple hours of traveling, even if we had to pay quite a sum for it.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION" The golem's voice resonated again, this time causing a flock of birds in a nearby tree to scatter.

A loud click of a lever was heard as a contraption of pistons pulled the iron bars of the gate up. Quite a spectacle I would say, for humanity to have the power move the immovable with nothing but simple 'redstone' wiring. "Welcome to Elkurn," The voice was the deeper voice of a man this time. Standing next to the controls for the gate, he was observing our carriage as we went by. He seemed to be thinking for a second before he finally spoke "A merchant, huh… if you're staying for the night, which I doubt you aren't. I recommend going to the inn called the Elven Hollows. It's got a stable to put your carriage and horse in. heard it's a pretty nice place too"

"Judging from what you said, the price maybe above my preferable range but I'll check it out… Thanks by the way". Upon giving our farewells to the local gatekeeper we headed off to the Elven Hollows. The town was quite at the time, almost all of the residents have returned home for the night. Leaving only the two of us in its empty streets. The light reflected down from the crescent moon above, and with the help of the occasional lanterns illuminated the path ahead. I didn't try to bring up a conversation between Andr and me. She looked like she was going to fall asleep if given the chance to. After a few minutes of wandering, we finally arrived at the named inn. A single wooden sign was rocking gently in the night's wind, fancying the words 'Elven Hollows' written in cursive on both sides.

As we opened the door, it rung a bell, waking up the sleeping receptionist."Welcome to the Elven Hollows what would you like to ord– I mean, how many night's would you like to stay" She droned in a (failed) business-like manner. She was obviously new to the job as every one else I've seen with the same profession, as hers seemed to be almost robotic in a way.

"A room for two please. How much for the night?" I asked, ready to reason with her if the prices were too steep.

"Well… the default price for the double bed room would cost 50ems per night". I've stayed at several inns in my time as a merchant but 50ems was just pushing it too far.

"Do you have anyway of lowering the price? My partner and I are trying to keep our expenses to a minimum for now" All this is true, it's never a good idea to carry around a large sum of money at a time.

"I don't know if you two are going to be ok with this but… we do have a way to lower it down… you can have the couples only room for 30ems". Heat could be felt rising in my face the mentioned of a 'Couples only' room.

"I'm sorry but we aren't in that kind of a rela —"

"We'll take it" Andr interrupted, while her face was in what I would imagine to be a hue of red similar to mine at the moment. Out of all the people that could've said that, I didn't expect it to be Andr. She normally stayed in the sidelines during something like this, and saying that this was surprising would be an understatement. Especially when we're in a situation such as this.

It didn't take long for us to store our belongings and get our selves checked in. As we were searching through the Aisles of the inn for our room, I couldn't help but admire the work that was put into this building. The spruce wood planks of the floors and walls were polished, the occasional vases placed within the corridor, each holding a bouquet of flowers ranging from roses to narcissus and many others that I don't know the names of.

The interior of our room was in a similar layout to the rest of the building; apart form the obvious two-person bed with heart shaped pillows and the required furniture for a room in an inn. Andr wasted no time in looking around, as she was already on the bed, fast asleep. Being the modest person that I am, I took the initiative to just sleep on the couch. We weren't in a relation like that, and we sure as hell wont be in the future.

**Right**?

(End of chapter 1) (please rage about my absence in the PMs if need be, but not in the reviews)


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